Sexual Health

These services are available in our branches, which are commutable from anywhere in Yorkshire, including Leeds, Bradford, Wakefield, York, Huddersfield, Sheffield, Barnsley, Hull, Doncaster, Ripon, Harrogate, Dewsbury, Keighley and Scarborough.

Yes, you can get next-day appointments at all our branches. Contact our customer care team if you cannot find an available slot.

If you have had unprotected sex (without a condom), there's a chance you could have caught a sexually transmitted infection (STI).

Arrange to get tested if you:

• haven't got symptoms but are worried you might have an STI

• have symptoms such as an unusual discharge

• feel something is wrong

If you're sexually active, either stop having sex or make sure you use a condom until you get your test results and know for sure whether or not you have an STI.

If you have an STI, using a condom will help prevent passing it on. Your sexual partners should also get tested.

You can get free, confidential advice and treatment from your GP or specialist clinics in your area, including if you're under 16.

Hospitals often have sexual health clinics (also known as GUM clinics), which test for and treat STIs.

There are also lots of places that are set up, especially for young people.

Most STIs can be easily treated, so don't be scared of having a test and finding you do have an STI. 

Find sexual health information and support services near you

If you have had sex without a condom or the condom splits or comes off, there's a risk of pregnancy and STIs.

The best thing to do is act quickly. The quicker you act, the sooner you can prevent pregnancy or get tested for an STI. 

Pregnancy

You can get pregnant if you have sex without a condom or if the condom splits or comes off.

In this case, to avoid pregnancy, you can either:

• take the emergency contraceptive pill, sometimes called the morning-after pill, up to 72 hours (3 days) or 120 hours (5 days) after having unprotected sex, depending on the type of pill

• have an intrauterine device (IUD), sometimes called a coil, fitted up to 120 hours (5 days) after having unprotected sex

However, try to take emergency contraception before three days or have the coil fitted before five days. The sooner you take it, the more effective it will be.

Take a pregnancy test if your next period doesn't arrive when you expect it to.

If you're having sex, don't regularly rely on emergency contraception to stop you from getting pregnant.

There are lots of contraceptive options you can choose from.

STIs

If you have sex without a condom or the condom splits or comes off, you risk getting an STI. 

If this happens and you're worried you have caught an STI, you can get confidential help and advice in your local area, as well as free testing for STIs, at:

• sexual health clinics (GUM clinics)

• some community contraceptive clinics

• some GPs

Find sexual health information and support services near you

Chlamydia

Chlamydia is one of the most common STIs in the UK.

It can be easily tested for, and testing is free and confidential at a sexual health clinic or GP surgery.

You can also buy chlamydia testing kits at home, with free tests available online for 15- to 24-year-olds.

Find free chlamydia tests online for under-25s.

You may not be protected against pregnancy if you have forgotten to take your pill.

This depends on the type you're taking, how many doses you have missed already, and how many pills are left in the packet.

Find out what to do if you miss a combined pill and what to do if you miss a progestogen-only pill.

If you have trouble remembering to take a pill every day, you could consider using another method of contraception, such as the contraceptive implant, contraceptive injection or IUD.

This means you don't have to think about your contraception every day or every time you have sex.

You may need to use condoms for extra protection.

If you need further advice, speak to a doctor, nurse or pharmacist as soon as possible.

Find out more about the different contraceptive methods.

If you take it correctly, at the right time on the right day, the contraceptive pill is 99% effective.

But certain things, such as being sick (vomiting), can stop it from working correctly.

Always read the leaflet inside the packet to know what might affect it.

Some medicines can prevent the pill from working correctly. Always ask your doctor or pharmacist to advise if they're giving you any medication.

Sexual health services (contraception and pregnancy advice or tests for STIs, including HIV) are free and confidential.

If you're 13 to 16, you have the same rights to confidentiality as an adult. The doctor, nurse or pharmacist will not tell your parents, or anyone else, as long as they believe that you fully understand the information and decisions involved.

They'll encourage you to consider telling your parents or carers, but they will not make you.

Even if the doctor, nurse or pharmacist feels you need to be more mature to decide yourself, the consultation will still be confidential. They will not tell anyone that you saw them or anything about what you said.

The only time a professional might want to tell someone else is if they believe there is a risk to your safety or welfare, such as abuse. The risk would need to be serious, and they would usually discuss this with you first.

The situation is different for people under 13 because the law says that people of this age cannot consent (say yes) to sexual activity. If you're under 13, doctors, nurses and health workers might feel it's in your best interests to involve others, such as a social worker.